Planning board to hold public hearing about pot zoning laws

By Kate McCarthy beacon@wickedlocal.com

Wednesday

Jul 11, 2018 at 10:07 AMJul 11, 2018 at 10:07 AM

In wake of the town’s approval vote on Question 4 on the 2016 ballot which legalized recreational marijuana and a moratorium set to expire by the end of the year, Boxborough’s Planning Board discussed future plans for pot retail at their meeting on Monday night.

Boxborough has a temporary ban on recreational marijuana until Dec. 31, 2018 to continue to lay out zoning requirements for marijuana shops.

But State Attorney General Maura Healey’s recent decision to allow communities to expand their temporary bans until next June for could slow down the timetable for when residents could see recreational pot retailers pop up in town.

Statewide delays

Pot shops in Massachusetts were projected to open July 1, but have faced delays as cities and towns wrestle with how to regulate and implement zoning bylaws for the businesses. Boxborough is one of a few dozen communities across the state, including Boxborough, have opted to delay the roll-out of the retailers.

Last month, the Planning Board voted to apply for special permits to implement cannabis shops. Special permits authorize the town to decide where the shops would be located.

John Markiewicz, the head of the planning board, said the board’s job now is figuring out the “how and where” pot retail shops will be located in the town.

“What we’re faced with is the fact that the citizens have voted ‘yes,’” Markiewicz said. “With that, we have the ability to, with special permits, restrict where (marijuana stores could be).”

Raised concerns

At Monday’s meeting, residents from both sides of the hotly-debated topic voiced their concerns as the town continues to plan for retailers.

One resident, Yolanda Liu, said while she supports local businesses, but she doesn’t want kids to be exposed to marijuana.

Another resident, Alex Kerin, pointed out that the role of “easy accessibility” of marijuana could help to reduce the opioid crisis hitting local and statewide communities. He posed the question, “Is there special zoning for distillation of alcohol?”

“I would like to consider being as restrictive as is necessary, schools is a perfect example, (or) close to a bunch of houses, “ Kerin said. “On the flipside, I wouldn’t want it to be so restrictive that it ultimately eliminates the concept anyway.”

Moving forward

In the future, Markiewicz said they will be holding a public hearing on any possible zoning bylaws regarding retail marijuana, the date of which would be announced when it is set where residents still can weigh in on the board’s zoning plans. In addition, Boxborough could also potentially decide to extend the marijuana moratorium until next June even without a public vote.

“There are a lot of moving parts because what happened with the Attorney General’s decision,” Markiewicz said. “Through special permits is the best way we can control what happens with anything associated with marijuana retail- any kind of marijuana- in this town.”